


Smoke and Mirrors

by IllyasJames



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 18OI AU Week 2019: Day 2, Accidental Death, Assumed Relationship, Car Accidents, Don’t copy to another site, M/M, Mutual Pining, Necromancy, Phichit is best friend even while being on a different continent., Reviving the Death., School/College, Secret Crush, Temporary Character Death, Thank the Heavens for Pole dancing., Vicchan Lives, Victor is a Necromancer that can Revive people, Yuuri Dies Temporarily, building on fire, night out gone wrong, stuck together, three kisses will set you free
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-23 19:38:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19157614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllyasJames/pseuds/IllyasJames
Summary: Warning!!! This story might seem lovey dovey, but it involves a scene that describes a victim of a car crash in a bit of detail. This victim is described as having died. They are alive in the story as one is a Necromancer. But caution is advised.On a lighter note Vicchan lives!!Summary; After a night out Yuuri feels compelled to stay close to one of his professors. Most think he has finally got the guts to work on his crush for the gorgeous man. The truth is that Victor works as a part-time necromancer and Yuuri had an accident. Now they can't be more than several paces apart without feeling ill.





	Smoke and Mirrors

**Author's Note:**

> This story was only supposed to be about 3k long, and not half as dark as it became.   
> Honestly it was supposed to be a funny lighthearted story. 
> 
> I failed at that but in the end it became so much better. 
> 
> Written for the 18+!!! On Ice Discord server's AU week
> 
> Which I will be making a bit longer as I am not done with it just yet.

It should have been a regular Monday, there were no big projects that needed to be finished, no exams, heck most hadn’t even thought about going in for lectures if a lot of them hadn’t a mandatory attendance listed to pass the class. 

It was anything but a regular Monday, there were groups huddled together whispering, people looking stressed beyond a normal workload, and everyone was texting and messaging everyone that had not come to class to get their asses over. 

Why you ask??

Because the hottest Professor in the whole college, the one and only Unobtainable Professor Victor Nikiforov - ‘Call me Victor, or I will feel old’ - who gives lectures in the most farthest of all lecture halls because he teaches Studies of the Occult, and the University’s own Heartbreaker the one and only Oblivious Katsuki Yuuri - ‘I’m sure no one is interested in me’ - arrived to the campus together. 

Not just together, they arrived in Professors Nikiforov’s car, but together, together.

You might say this is the biggest news story on all of the campus. 

And many hearts were broken when the first images went around the social accounts of the students that had seen them arrive together. 

Did I already mention they arrived in Professors Nikiforov’s car. Yes? Oh Okay. Did I also mention that Professor Nikiforov, dashed around the car and opened the door for Katsuki Yuuri, and that he is currently holding Katsuki Yuuri’s books while he is going over the messaging board to see if any of his classes are cancelled. 

We all knew Katsuki Yuuri might be harboring a not-so-tiny crush on the professor -Thank you Phichit for having that wonderful vid on your account that shows a half asleep Yuuri mumbling about the professors cute ass- but it seems he has finally taken the plunge and actually do something about it. 

They look almost inseparable. Wonder what happened.

~~  
Yuuri sighs. “I wish professor Cialdini didn’t make his classes mandatory, he usually goes by the book anyway. Not that it matters, it’s at the same time as your Class for the Sophomores and I’m certain you won’t be able to skip it.” 

His tone of voice sounds drained, and anyone that knows him can spot the signs of not having had enough sleep all over his face. Victor leans in over his shoulder, causing him to tense up, to look at the schedules. 

Seeing Yuuri reaction he takes a step back, but never too far, and apologizes. 

“I’m sorry Yuuri.” Seeing Yuuri’s face drop he rubs his neck. “I could talk to Celestino about you may…” 

“No, no, no, I don’t want anyone to know what happened. Please.” Yuuri turns to look at him, the first time since they woke that morning. “Please. Promise.” 

“Of course, of course.” Victor is quick to agree, after all it was his mess that got them into the situation it was his responsibility to get it sorted out. “I just thought you could join another of his classes later this week that were at a better time. But I see how that would just cause issues. So I will reschedule mine.” 

Before Yuuri can complain Victor sets off to the office of whoever is in charge of making the schedules. Yuuri has to run after Victor in quite a hurry before they are too far apart and that happens again. 

Miss Baranovskaya isn’t very pleased with Victor simply stating his lectures have to get re-scheduled around Yuuri’s classes, but it takes her only one look between them to just sigh and actually goes around and make it happen. 

At least for one week. 

“I know you Victor, you always get so attached when you start dating somebody. So I am giving you this one week and then you will have to get it out of your system. I will not allow you to inconvenience the students you are being paid to teach any further.” 

“Of course Lilia. I will do my best.” His smile is fake. 

How had Yuuri never seen before that Professor Nikiforov never had a real smile. 

He had only noticed it when he had spent the whole of the past weekend seeing him around his dog. 

It had been so unreal, sitting on his professor’s coach holding his own miniature poodle while Victor had been laid out on the floor getting full on doggy kisses from his standard one. 

Makkachin and Vicchan had hit it off right from the bat, which was a luck. Yuuri would not have known what to do if the two dogs had disliked each other.

With Phichit out of the country due to a family emergency he didn’t have anyone that could take care of Vicchan for him. In fact he had to smuggle Victor into his dorm at four in the morning on Saturday so that they could pick up Phichit’s hamsters and some extra clothes and his books.   
A quick update letting all the students of Victor’s classes know that the schedule was changed for the week and that all needed to take this into account as the classes marked mandatory were still mandatory popped up on Yuuri’s phone. 

He just knew there would be several students around the school hating him for this, and it wasn’t even really his fault. 

It had all started with Vicchan having to go out to do his needs. 

If only he hadn’t gone out, had made Vicchan pee on a paper or something, or maybe he could have taken a different route, or he…

“Professor Nikiforov are you alright?’ 

Yuuri’s head shoots up, the voice of one of the female students breaking through the wave of what if’s and maybe’s that were taking over his mind, to see that he had stopped walking and thus had gotten behind Victor for far too long. 

Victor was looking around to spot him and when their eyes meet Yuuri runs over, grabs Victor’s hand and apologizes. 

“I’m so sorry, I got distracted again. I’m here now.” 

Victor’s smile comes back feebly. “Thank you Yuuri. I know it is a hassle to you as well. Should we move to your first class now that I cleared my schedule?” Yuuri simply nods.

They move to the hall Yuuri’s first class of the day is held in, neither daring to let go of the other his hand. Pointitly ignoring all of the whispers and stares pointed their way. 

All through the day they are never more than six paces between them at any time, usually closer as Victor sits beside Yuuri in every single one of his classes. Then later when Victor gives his lectures he for the first time that year is actually seated behind his desk throughout the complete hour with Yuuri sitting first row, scribbling in a notebook clearly not meant for notes. 

After all classes are over Victor goes to his office. Yuuri follows at a demure pace right behind him. Victor doesn’t seem to have much energy either, which is unusual for the normally suave man to actually show. 

“I’m so sorry” Sounds from both their voices at almost the same time.  
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Closely followed in unison as well.   
“Please, you first.” They finally said as one. 

Neither actually says what they want to say in the end simply entering the office together.   
They work in silence together to move Victor’s desk from the back of the room closer to the door. Normally Victor prefers it located there to make certain there is enough privacy, for any students that call upon him about their grades or any assignments, but right now it would be too far away from the door. And neither can have that. 

Victor had offered Yuuri to be inside the office if any students came calling, but he had been very clear. Such conversations were private and he was not going to be a hindrance to anyone that needed to air their mind. So this was the second best idea they could both agree upon. 

Yuuri doesn’t even get time to sit and relax a bit after everything is rearranged when the first knock comes at the door. One of the Seniors seems anxious to speak to Victor, but when they see Yuuri they nearly step back out. 

“It’s okay. I am stepping out of the room and the door will be closed. So do not worry.” Yuuri tries to smile but his lips just don’t do the complete stretch giving it a more sneer like appearance. 

Victor steps forward as if he wants to say something to Yuuri before he steps out, but misses his chance when the student steps right between them and starts talking before Yuuri’s even completely stepped out. 

Once in the hallway Yuuri spots another problem neither of them had thought about. Sure there is a Sofa for those that are waiting for Victor to have time for them to sit on. The damn thing though is at the opposite side of the corridor. It might only be a few steps but it is still at least four steps to far. 

Which means Yuuri has to keep standing near the door. 

He sighs deeply, takes out his headphones, plugs them in to drown out the voices he can hear from the office and starts playing a game on his phone. 

If only Phichit wasn’t in another time zone he could call him and chat up. Then again if Phichit had been here Yuuri would not have gone out alone, feel disheartened, gone home early and taken Vicchan for a late night walk. 

If Phichit had been here, Yuuri would not be living out this fantasy nightmare for real. 

He would simply still be pining for his unobtainable professor, writing bad notes in his notebooks about in which order their names would look best, maybe writing some fanfic about what they would do if they would ever meet. 

His hand is rubbing his chest. The pressure in it is increasing greatly, his mind is getting all murky, and his fingers are shaking so badly he mis tapped on his phone several times now. Victor must be standing near the bookcase that is mounted on the back wall, they couldn’t move it closer to the door which is biting Yuuri right now. And Victor too. 

His fingers stop shaking slowly and his breathing becomes easier, so Victor moved back to his desk. Yuuri sighs. 

They really need to find out what happened that this is such a problem.

Victor had swore to him all through the first few hours afterwards that the inability to move away from each other like they were experiencing was not a common side effect. Actually as far as he knew it wasn’t a side-effect period. 

~~ 

“Seriously. In most cases you should not have noticed anything. Just a vague memory of almost being hit by a car, a small scar you can’t remember getting, but that is it.” Victor paced through his kitchen looking even more frazzled than Yuuri was feeling. “You sure as hell - excuse the word use - should not be remembering the whole event in such great detail, know what happened and… and” 

He moves his hand between them. 

“You should be able to simply go on with your life as if it never happened. Not be stuck with me like this.” 

Victor rubs his hands through his hair.

“I don’t know where I went wrong. It’s not like I haven’t performed this spell several times before. I wasn’t even rushing things like I have done before once.” He slumps down on the sofa next to Yuuri, who was clutching Vicchan to his chest, and Makka who had taken root next to Yuuri as if to keep the young man safe. 

“I’m so sorry. I promise I will figure out what went wrong and I will fix things.” 

Yuuri had simply nodded.

~~  
Thinking back he must have been in utter shock. Who wouldn’t be when something as life altering as that happened to them. Then again it could have happened to his Vicchan and Yuuri knows he would have felt even worse about that. 

“Are you and Professor Nikiforov dating?”   
Yuuri’s head shoots up when a mic is shoved under his nose quite unceremoniously. He finds himself faced with one of the campus reporters. Or as Phichit calls them the future sewer rats. The young man that asked the question has a shrewd look on his face, making it clear to Yuuri that he will not leave him alone till he is given an answer. Any answer. 

Normally when he is bothered by them he simply states ‘no comment’ and flees to the closest bathroom as the school has a no recordings allowed rule in them. Poorly the closest bathroom is over twenty meters away and right now he knows he would not be able to even get that far. 

“Well. Are you?” 

The mic gets bopped against Yuuri’s nose. Very annoyingly. 

“This school might not have an official rule against adult students dating any of the professors, but unofficially if you are you could get suspended.” 

Yuuri opens and closes his mouth a few times, trying to muster up enough guts to at least say anything. 

“So how did you seduce him? Did you like strip naked after class one day and offered him the use of your…” 

Whatever body part the guy was about to say Yuuri will never know as the mic gets pulled from their hand and a fist slams into their nose. 

“Do not even bother bringing this case up to the dean, as he just called me stating I had free range to end this atrocious behavior. He also wants me to inform the lot of you that you are all suspended immediately for violating the no harassment rules in place.” Victor places his hand in his side, flips his bang back in place, while giving the boys a stare that would kill if that was a possibility in this world. 

After that, he turns to the student that had come by and wishes them a good day, locks his door and pulls Yuuri out of the hallway by holding his hand. His thumb precariously close to one of those small silvery scars Yuuri’s been sporting since the early morning of Saturday. 

He lets out a soft choked out sob, the stress of the day becoming too much. 

Victor halts his brisk pace to turn back to look at Yuuri. 

“I’m sorry. It must be hard with everyone thinking we are dating.” He then proceeds to make it worse by placing a soft kiss on Yuuri’s knuckles. “I will fix things so you can return back to your own life, as soon as I can make it possible. I give you my word.” 

Yuuri just nods sadly. Of course Professor Nikiforov doesn’t want people to think he is dating somebody like Yuuri. That’s why he had never planned to let any of this move past fantasies. 

That evening they are eating a dinner cooked up by Victor. Yuuri has to admit the man knows how to cook and will one day make his chosen partner a very happy man. He just wish Victor would make less of an effort to have Yuuri enjoy himself. 

Luckily Makka and Vicchan have managed to coordinate some tactic in which at any time at least one of them is sitting at the table doing their best puppy dog eyes. Both Victor and Yuuri find them self slipping at least a few scraps to either dog. 

“It’s horrible Yuuri.” Victor slams his hand over his chest. “I thought I had become immune to these eyes, but seeing them in that adorable Vicchan just makes it impossible for me to keep saying no.” 

Yuuri starts giggling, pulling the hand that just slipped Makka something over his mouth to stop the sound. Victor looks at him with a sneaky twinkle in his eyes. 

“Ah, I see you are a willing victim to all of this as well.” He wags his finger under his nose. “And worse even my Makka has totally abandoned me for you.” 

Yuuri smiles softly, placing his hand on Makka’s head letting the dog put it in his lap.

“It can’t be helped, I am immune for Vicchan’s, you are immune for Makka’s, so of course they figured that out they are smart dogs.” 

Victor nods happily, pulling Vicchan into his lap. The dog lets out a very contented snort. 

“That they are.” Victor smiles. “If we are done here though, let me clear up and we can go over my books again.” 

The rest of the evening is spent with them going over ancient book after ancient book. 

The next day goes in an almost similar fashion, except this time they get cornered by a group of female students on their way out for lunch. But one swoosh of Victor’s bang and a well placed wink has them all swooning so badly they can make an easy escape. 

Wednesday Yuuri has a small bump on the road, he needs to attend a certain lecture but Victor has to go into a meeting at the same time. It takes a load of persuading but in the end Victor convinces the dean that the professor giving Yuuri’s lecture should be in the meeting as well. So Yuuri finds himself having Victor sit next to him during the lecture, and sitting next to Victor during his meeting. 

He has by then started to download listening books, as he had heard his music so many times now he was starting to get annoyed by it. Poorly the one he had picked was a romance novel, about a girl who fell in love with death. 

Why had Phichit send him this as an option. Had he not understood what Yuuri had told him that happened. Like Yurui wanted to think about death right now.

Yet for a lack of better he put it on anyway. 

By the time the meeting was halfway Yuuri understood why Phichit had sent him the link. He owed his friend a very big thank you present. He was so absorbed by the story he hadn’t even noticed the meeting ending, or everyone standing up ready to leave. 

A hand on his shoulder makes Yuuri jump up and yelp. He sees Victor standing two paces away with his hands up, a few other professors are just looking at him a variety of looks on their faces. 

“Sorry Yuuri, did not want to startle you, but the meeting’s over and well. We have dinner plans remember.” 

Yuuri blinked. Oh right that family friend that had called that Victor could not deny having to come over. 

Yuuri had been in shock finding out the guy’s name, till he remembered Victor was the son of one of the most famous Paranormal Investigators, and the leading member of the Occult. 

Then again till Saturday morning Yuuri had considered all of those things simple Smoke and mirror work. He no longer had that luck. 

They leave together, ignoring the gossiping Professors and students along their way. 

“I asked him to bring some books along.” Victor smiles softly at Yuuri when he holds the door for him. “I just hope he isn’t going to ask to many questions. He can be a bit annoying with those, so if he starts just ignore him.” 

It was a fair warning. 

The man who was normally paraded by most reporters to be calm and collective, an actor of great pose, was a chattering, nosy, over-cheerful, gap. Yuuri had dealt with Phichit’s curiosity when they just started out as roommates and had found him prying, but compared to this man it was clear Phichit had shown a great deal of respect for Yuuri’s boundaries. 

“Excuse me, I am feeling a headache come up. Let me go to the kitchen for a moment.” 

Yuuri stands up, knowing he will have to risk it a bit, just needing a small moment for a breather. He’s not even two steps away when he hears the man lean over to Victor and not even try to pretend he is whispering. 

“If I knew becoming a professor at a college would get me to bury my cock in such an ass I would have considered it. I bet he was an easy target right, with your fame and looks, he must have practically thrown himself in front of you.” 

The clack at which Victor’s glass is put down makes Yuuri flinch.

“And that is your que to leave.” He stands up grabs the man by the arm and simply drags him out of the apartment. 

“Say hi to your husband from me, tell him his money was well spent on those surgeries, you can barely see the lines around your face anymore. Also say hi to my father if you see him, tell him you made a failed pass on his son’s partner by letting your pervy side out again. Next time don’t bother coming by alone. Goodbye.” 

The door slams close making Yuuri jump from his own mind as his thoughts had started spiraling the moment Victor had stepped away too far. Victor is back and has his cold arms wrapped around Yuuri in seconds, a kiss pressed to his forehead. 

“He should not have talked about you like that.” 

“Why not? We both know the whole campus is talking about me like this.” Yuuri starts shaking, tears welling in his eyes. “Do you really think no one has noticed yet that I haven’t been back in my dorm room since Saturday? That I am staying here? In your very luxurious one bedroom apartment?” 

Victor says nothing, his hold just becomes a little tighter. 

“I need a bath.” Yuuri shakingly forces out. “Can.. can we?” 

“Of course Yuuri. Of course.” 

The bath did some good as Yuuri manages to fall asleep within the first twenty minutes after they had gone to bed. He thus misses the moment Victor rolls over and slowly strokes his fingers through his hair a soft, sad, smile on his lips.

“This is so not how I wanted you to end up here. Things should not have gone this way.” Victor closes his eyes. “I’m so sorry Yuuri, I understand if you will hate me forever for what happened. I’m just glad I get to spend some time with you.”   
~~  
Victor had wrangled Makka into his car after leaving Chris’s place when the small get together with former Studymates had evolved in an all out studentish frat party. He was supposed to stay the night but after he had found two people, which both had other partners, going at it in the guest bed right next to where Makka was in his bench he had called it a night, a stay, and a weekend. 

Chris had understood, so there would be no hard feelings there. 

“I swear Makka, I am getting to old for this.” He grins at his dog who is still in the bench on the backseat of the convertible through the rear view mirror. “Maybe I should take Yakov’s advice, find a nice boy, settle down a bit.” 

Makka barks cheerfully, making Victor look over his shoulder. They are going through the residential area of Campus at a Friday night - well technically Saturday morning as it was about 3am- and he was only slightly speeding. He never even considered there could be anything that could go wrong. 

“Well we both know who I would be interested to consider for that. If only he wasn’t a student of mine. But then again I would have never seen those beautiful brown eyes so filled with life.” Victor laments trying to smile at his dog. 

It was Makka’s jump up that allerted Victor, but by the time he had his eyes back on the road and registered there being a small poodle, he had already made contact with something.

Something that had smashed onto his hood, crashed his window, and had vaulted over the car bouncing off of the roof of Makka’s bench. 

Victor slammed onto the brake, praying only two things. Please let it not be the dog and please let it be something that can be easily replaced like a garbage can. 

His car’s brakes were topnotch as it only took a few meters to come to a complete stop. He jumped out as soon as it was stilled. His eyes scanning the road behind him, finding it empty. He would have called it a trick of the eye, an hallucination, if not for his busted car, and the clear sound of a distressed dog. 

It’s Makka that spots the small Toy poodle at the side of the road poking its nose into something black. Something black with fluorescent lights moving along its shape. 

Victor’s heart dropped when he realized he hadn’t hit the dog. He had hit the owner. 

He scrambles to the boot of his car simply tossing his weekend bag out of the way, hoping he had put his old toolkit in the trunk after he had switched cars. For he knew that if anything he would need the expertise he had in occult teachings and not his first aid training for this. 

The small leather suitcase looks more like a vanity box than something one would use for what he was about to do, but looks were deceiving. After all he did not look like the image most had for a Necromancer, so why should his tools. 

Victor runs to where the dog is sitting by its owner, Makka right on his heels because he would be too busy setting up to be able to take care of the dog. 

That was when he got the biggest shock of them all.

Between the cuts, the blood, and the broken bones sticking out of skin, he could see the two most beautiful brown eyes completely devoided of life. 

“Oh, Yuuri.” 

Well in the back of his mind he is happy he won’t have to go and see if he can figure out the victims name, but for once that is not something he was too happy about. In fact he wasn’t happy about it at all. 

He had never worked as frantically in his life to set everything up as it was supposed to be. Then even more frantically he went over Yuuri’s body, pulling all the bones back in place as it would make the healing process faster. 

Then he set to work. 

~~  
Victor blinks awake when he feels a soft warm hand on his cheek. Then he blinks again to dispel the tears on his eyelashes. He turns his head slightly to find Yuuri looking at him with a crease between his eyes, his brown eyes filled with worry. 

“You were tossing and turning, waking me up, then you said my name and started crying.” Yuuri says softly. “I’m sorry if my presence is so disturbing I am even robbing you of a good night’s rest.” 

Victor chokes back a sob. How could he have ever believed he’d have the right to even try to pursue such a beautiful soul. Yuuri was clearly to pure for somebody that was involved with the things Victor was involved in. 

“Don’t apologies Yuuri, please don’t.” Victor sobs out desperately. “This is all my fault. If only I had stayed with Chris, or had kept my eyes on the road. This all…” 

“Stop it.” Yuuri’s voice cuts through his apology. “Do not say it was your fault. I was there as well. If I had taken a different route, if I had stayed at the party a bit longer, if I… if I…” Yuuri’s voice brakes over the next few words. “If I hadn’t jumped in front of Vicchan, then… then…” 

Both gasp for air turning to look at the dogs sleeping together in the dog bed. Victor could not, did not want to, imagine a world where Yuuri had lost his dog. It would have devastated him. 

Unable to say anything but sorry Victor just pulls Yuuri closer. Finally in light of seeing both of their guilt he decides to become honest. 

“I’m not sorry you are here, your presence is not a hindrance to me, if not for what happened I would have asked you out. Eventually, but I would have.” Victors fingers caress through Yuuri’s hair, right where the biggest crack had been, the tip of the scar just barely visible at the edge of his hairline. 

“And if we weren’t stuck to be together? If I hadn’t opened my eyes and told you point blank I remembered exactly what had happened. That I had seen it all. Would you still have?” 

Victor stays quiet for far too long, making his answer very clear. 

Yuuri pushes himself away. “I see. Of course after having seen me like that you would want nothing to do with me. I have a hard enough time to believe somebody like you would ever be really interested in me, I’m not worth it.” 

Those words infuriate Victor. 

“How could I ever think you are not worthy of me when it is so obviously clear that I am not worthy of being with you.” He shoves Yuuri’s shoulder with a bit more force then he intended. 

Both look up startled at those words coming from Victor’s mouth. 

“Oh damn it all.” 

Yuuri’s swear causes Victor to jump a bit, but before he can say anything Yuuri already pulled him forward by the shirt he wore to bed. Slamming their mouths together in a desperate kiss. 

There is nothing romantic about how their teeth collide, yet it is all Victor lives for at that moment. His arms go around Yuuri pulling the other closer. Changing the angle to get a better kiss. 

The kiss moves from desperate to pleading in seconds, both men moaning and whimpering to let the other know they want more, need more. 

Finally finding the right angle they roll over slightly, finding a better way for their bodies to connect. 

At some point during their tossle the dogs wake up and slip out of the room giving the tow heavy panting, and sweaty men the room to be indecent together in private. 

By that time they have found a rhythm that tests out the sturdiness of the bed frame, and their whimpers have resolved into please of more, yeses and don’t dare to take your eyes off of me’s. 

Victor’s body pulls tout only seconds after Yuuri had found his release, covering both of their bodies. They slowly roll away from each other to grasp what little air they can push down their longs. 

“Oh wow.”   
“Blyad.” 

When they look aside and their eyes meet they both start to giggle, then laugh. 

“Okay. It seems we are both very passionate about how to settle an argument.” Victor finally manages to get out. 

Yuuri fist bumps the air. “I won though.” 

“Did you?” Victor corks a brow. “I bet I can race you to the bathroom much faster.” 

“Maybe…” Yuuri grins. “But…” He points down to where their groins are. Victor follows it and sees what Yuuri had been talking about. 

“Ah Yuuri, so mean. I am an older man.” 

Their laughter fills the room again, that is till they hear both Makka and Vicchan whimper bark from the living room. Recognizing the sounds as tehir pets in distress both men scramble up as fast as physically possible after the activity they just taken part of, to put on some clothes to see what is going on. 

Yuuri doesn’t even realize he puts the apartment key in his pocket out of sheer habit from years of getting out in the middle of the night for Vicchans midnight dog walks, because of this though he is a few steps behind Victor. 

They find the living room slowly filling up with smoke. It is only then they notice how the whole place feels much warmer than it should be feeling in a place without floor heating. They both understand what is going on. The building’s on fire.   
Victor grabs Vicchan as he is closest to the small dog and calls to Yuuri to put Makka on their leash. “We don’t want to lose sight of them in the frenzy.” 

Understanding the logic Yuuri clips the leash in place and follows Victor into his small hallway, the smoke isn’t as bad there as in the living room, which means it must be coming up through the vents. 

“Probably the boiler room or the laundry room, those places were an accident waiting to happen.” Victor puts on a coat, tying it around his waist with a belt so that he has his hands free to get the door. “Follow me closely. There are two ways out of this building in case of a fire, that is the main stairs, and the fire escape stairs on the west side. We’ll try the stairs first but if that fails we’ll take those stairs, okay.” 

Yuuri frowns. He thought he had seen fire escape stairs at the east side of the building as well. Did Victor’s kitchen window not lead to them? But he can’t ask as Victor already opened the doors, letting in more smoke and the sounds of a building waking up to a disaster. 

They can also hear alarms and sirens. It seems that the fire had already been spotted and the fire brigade was already present. Yuuri hoped the place could be mostly salvaged as he would hate for anyone here to lose all of their stuff. 

Victor goes down the stairs when he hears voices coming up calling for anyone still in the building to identify themselves. 

“We are here, top floor. Two people and dogs. We are coming down.” 

They turn a corner and see a fireman looking up, relieved. “Thank the lord, come down quickly, some parts of the building are already breaking up and we need to get out now.” 

Yuuri and Victor nod, moving forward fast. Except Makka suddenly stops jerking Yuuri back two steps. Which ends up saving him as right at that moment a loud unearthly cracking sound fills the stairwell and a large section of the wall crashes into the stairs. Right on the spot Yuuri would have been standing. 

Over the wreckage he can see Victor being held by the fireman, as they had been slammed down the stairs by the force. Poorly it is also clear there is no way for Yuuri to get through the mess in any way. Not with Makka with him. 

Knowing what will happen when they are apart for too long Yuuri already starts hyperventilating but Makka isn’t having it and pulls on the leash. Going back up the stairs, Yuuri understand what the dog is saying. 

“Victor go out with the fireman, I’m going to take the emergency stairs. I’ll see you outside soon.” 

He’s already running back up to their floor before the fireman can even start forming words. 

Victor looks at the man in shock. 

“What do you mean the westside of the building is compromised?” 

The fireman grabs his arm, pulling him on their way downstairs while calling in his walkie talkie that there is still one occupant inside the building, that the stairs are compromised. And that they will be needing a fallscreen.

After that he looks at Victor. “It seems one of the occupants on the westside had done some unlisted remodeling. He took out two load bearing walls without putting in proper support. The fire decimated that area. Those stairs are completely engulfed in fire.” 

A cold settles down Victor’s skin, even worse than the cold he kept feeling taking him over whenever he and Yuuri were apart. 

Once outside he can see the absolute damage that the fire has done to the westside. There is no way for anyone to et out through that way. 

“Maybe he’ll get to the roof?” He hears a fireman say while the medics try to take him away. 

“Not likely. The door was sealed after some illegal rooftop party a few years back. It would take us with our equipment at least an hour to get it open. Nope the guy doesn’t stand a chance.” 

Victor whimpers and wants to run back inside when commotion on the east side pulls his attention. When he sees the people with the fallscreen run towards where he knows the old discontinued fire steps are he understands that perhaps, just maybe…

Yuuri runs after Makka who seems to be completely aware of what is going on and what needs to be done. He entrusts his life to the dog, seeing as it is all he has to go on now that his anxiety is taking over again. 

How cruel is life to do this to him. He and Victor had finally figured things out and now it was going to kill him a second time in one week? Absolutely not. He was going to get out of here, live his life, fighting and making up with Victor along the way. 

When Makka refuses to go any further than Victor’s door he fears the dog might not have understood the situation at all. Yuuri tries to move along, going to the westside, but Makka barks sharply and shakes their head. 

“It’s not safe?” 

Realizing Yuuri understands him Makka barks loudly and wags their tail. Then pushes their nose to Yuuri’s pants pocket, reminding him of the key he had grabbed. 

“Alright. Then it does seem that is the only way then.” 

Yuuri opens the door to find the smoke in the apartment to have become even worse than before, seeing as there isn’t any time to waste he doesn’t bother to drop down and tiger under the smoke as he was taught, instead he pulls his shirt over his nose takes in a deep breath and barges right through. Makka follows him closely. 

Once in the kitchen he finds the place even more filled than the living room, Makka whimpers and scurries back a few steps. Yuuri’s heartbeat races up even more, the pounding clogging his vision for a moment. 

If he can’t get Makka to come along, and he can’t carry the dog as he won’t be able to open the window, there is only one way to go. Yuuri grabs the throw blanket from the closest chair and wraps Makka in it. This way he only needs one hand to keep the dog close. 

A second deep breath makes him cough, so he knows he has no more time to lose. 

Over the past few days he had learned every step of the place, he could move around the kitchen blindfolded, which meant he made it to the window in seconds. With no regard for the plants Yuuri clears Victor’s minigarden from the windowsill. 

It is a tight squeeze getting out and onto the old steps, but he makes it. Only to find that there are no connecting steps to go down, the ladders are completely missing, as is half of the landing a floor down. The thing makes so much noise Yuuri for a moment fears it will simply deteriorate where he stands. 

“There’s somebody on the east side fire landing. Come quick.” 

The voice filter sinto Yuuri’s ears over the noises in his head and the sirens going off in the distance. Apparently the fire brigade is concentrating on the westside of the building, meaning that side would have been a deathtrap for certain. Now they had a chance. 

He sees the people with the firescreen move around the large flagpole in the east courtyard to get in a good position to catch him. A loud noise and a sudden jerk of the landing tells Yuuri that it is coming undone from the wall. Something a quick look over his shoulder confirms. 

“Okay sir when you are ready jump.” A burly man from below yells at Yuuri. “We’ll catch you.” 

“First Makka.” Yuuri yells back, letting out a few coughs. “I need you to catch them first.” 

“Makka?” The man yells looking surprised as he had been told only one more person was inside. So when the man calls back it’s their dog he yells the only thing he can think of. 

“Forget the dog, save yourself.” 

Yuuri takes a step back, picks up Makka in the blanket, placing a quick kiss on their nose, “You take care of Victor for me okay?” before throwing them over the railing right into the waiting screen. 

This movement causes the bolt that was still holding the landing in place to finally snap. 

Yuuri feels the whole thing sway, coming away from the wall. He knows he will be falling to his death and this time there was no way Victor would be able to bring him back. 

He sees the flagpole in the corner of his eye, the flag pulled down for the night. 

It must have been the absolute will to live that drives him forward, but one moment he is accepting his impending death and the next he is launching himself in a quick run towards the landing’s edge. His foot barely touches the railing, while the whole thing plunges to the ground, propelling him into the air towards the pole.

His fingers barely grab a hold, he twists his legs and torso just right to hook his leg around him.

There, while the fire landing comes down in a horrible clash of sounds and broken metal, Yuuri silently thanks Phichit for taking him to those pole dancing classes over summer break. 

Victor sees Yuuri toss down Makka, he sees how the landing comes undone, and his heart breaks knowing he will clearly be forced to really lose Yuuri this time. Seeing as his car is in the garage under the building and probably lost forever. 

Then when Yuuri does the unthinkable and makes his jump he is among the crowd yelling the loudest that he has to be caught. So when Yuuri proves to be in possession of yet another hidden talent he finally breaks down. 

The paramedic that had been trying to pull him back to be treated is pushed away and Victor runs to Yuuri as fast as he can, calling his name. 

Yuuri drops down from the pole, finding himself pounced on by Makka who had freed themselves from the blanket and Victor who is doing an ugly cry but only because of the soot on his face, reality sets in. He made it. He’s safe. And he is going to make the most out of his life.

Victor lets out a surprised sound when Yuuri kisses him, only to melt into it as he still has a Yuuri to kiss.

No one expects either one to show up on campus the next day. No one expected anything after the recordings of the fire were spread around the student body. 

And absolutely no one expected them to come back two weeks later sporting golden rings and hyphenated names.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you all thought of the story. 
> 
> And for once I actually used the tags to spoil some of it. :}


End file.
